Ever wonder why so many advertisements seem to be targeted toward really young people? You know, teenagers and younger. Well, according to a new survey by Coinstar -- the people who operate the green change redemption machines you see in grocery stores -- the average adolescent spends about $264 a month.

Add it all up, and teenagers rang up $170 billion last year on music, clothes, food and other items last year. And, to the surprise of absolutely no one, very few of these children are saving for the future.

Even worse, the most recent survey by the JumpStart Coalition finds that most high school seniors are financially illiterate. The average score last year on a test about money matters was 50.2 percent correct, down from 57.3 percent in 1997.

One encouraging trend among young people is that they are spending their own money. Seventy-five percent of the children said they earned money by doing odd jobs such as baby-sitting or cutting grass, or by holding down a regular job. Forty-four percent said they get money from their parents, mostly in the form of allowances.

And, like their parents, youngsters have learned the magic of credit. Nearly a third of all teenagers have their own credit cards, while half of them say they go to the mall armed with Mom's or Dad's plastic.

Teaching children the ABCs of dollars and cents is no easy task. I think most parents would rather talk to their children about the birds and the bees instead of stocks and bonds. That might explain why 80 percent of parents surveyed believe that schools should provide classes on money management and budgeting.

But, fewer and fewer states include personal finance in the curricula. Only 31 states require such classes, down from 40 just two years ago.

The great frustration is that money chats -- whether in the classroom or around the diner table -- are missing when they are most needed. A couple of years ago, when the stock market was booming, parents bragged to their children about the rapid rise in their 401(k) plans. Children would scan the stock charts in the newspaper before they read the box scores in the sports pages or the comics.

Now, they are busy playing video games on the Internet.

I doubt there is any educational program that will inspire young people to put their money into savings accounts that pay little or no interest. However, bringing children into the community of investors is easier today than ever before.

Many parents have opted not to buy stocks or mutual funds for their children because they believe it requires a sizable amount of money. It's a lot easier to just buy a $25 savings bond every once in a while. However, more and more companies are offering their stocks through direct purchase programs that allow people to invest small amounts of money on a regular basis.

A lot of children may not know that they can invest in companies that they frequent as consumers. Disney, McDonald's, Wendy's, Apple Computer and Coca-Cola are just a few of the companies that allow you to invest small amounts of money without going through a middleman.

Get children started today and they will be investors -- and more financially savvy -- for the rest of their lives.

George Chamberlin of Encinitas is also a radio and TV commentator. Contact him at george@moneyinthemorning.com.